Chapter 31: The Class's Endangered Species

Yan Baba and Lei Xingxing also burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.
Ye Luo: "..."
Qiao Qingyang paid no mind to their amusement. She merely freed herself from Ye Wuqi's hand, walked up to Ye Luo, and, looking as though she hadn’t slept well, said, "I've already asked Little Gorilla for help. You definitely won't come in last."
"That's right, that's right," Ye Wuqi immediately chimed in. "Today Little Gorilla is coming to take the exam. Only the six of us from our class are taking it today; no one else will be here. Among us, Little Gorilla has the best grades. If you copy from him, you absolutely won't be at the bottom!"
Ye Luo: "..."
When had she fallen so low as to need to copy someone’s answers...
Yan Baba tossed a piece of chewing gum into her mouth. "What are you all talking about? She doesn't even know Little Gorilla!"
Ye Wuqi finally pointed at Lei Xingxing, grinning as he explained to Ye Luo, "Since our class has Big Gorilla, of course we have Little Gorilla too. Little Gorilla's full name is Qian Xiaoxing. His health isn't great, so he often misses class, but whenever he can come to class or take an exam, he always shows up. He’s our class’s top protected species, so you'd best not provoke him."
Ye Luo nodded, indicating she understood.
It wasn’t until the bell was about to ring that Qian Xiaoxing arrived.
Qian Xiaoxing was only about 1.6 meters tall, his face pale and exceedingly thin—one look was enough to tell he was unwell.

He carried an enormous backpack, which made him look even smaller and frailer.
As soon as Qian Xiaoxing entered, Ye Wuqi called him over to take his seat. "Little Gorilla, sit in my spot so Egg Sister can copy from you. If Egg Sister steals the beauty’s first place, the beauty won’t get a decent night’s sleep again."
Sitting in the back row, Ye Luo: "..."
Qian Xiaoxing was a bit shy, but obediently replied, "Alright."
Ye Wuqi went to sit in Qian Xiaoxing’s seat, which was right in the center of the front row.
Seeing Ye Wuqi settle in his place, Qian Xiaoxing turned slightly, shyly and quietly greeting Ye Luo, "Hello, I’m Qian Xiaoxing."
"Hello, I’m He Luo," Ye Luo replied coolly, but she maintained proper manners.
Since he rarely spoke to girls and didn’t want to hurt her self-esteem, Qian Xiaoxing grew even more bashful, lowering his voice even further. "Um, once I’ve finished my test, I’ll write the answers for you. You just need to take them when I pass them to you."
Ye Luo: "..."
Qian Xiaoxing thought she hadn’t heard him because he was too quiet, so he was about to repeat himself, "Once I finish my paper, I’ll—"
But before he could finish, Ye Luo cut him off, "No need, thank you. I’ve studied diligently."

This person wasn’t her ancestor, so lying came easily to her.
"Ah? But..." Qian Xiaoxing glanced anxiously at Qiao Qingyang, who had asked him to help. Yet since she had said she didn’t need it, he could only reply softly, "Alright then."
After a moment, still worried, he turned back and whispered, "If you’re not confident you can score higher than the beauty, just kick my chair and I’ll pass you the answers."
Ye Luo asked, "How many points does Qiao Qingyang get each time?" Was it really possible to always come in last?
Qian Xiaoxing replied, "Her total score never exceeds twenty."
Ye Luo was astonished. How was that even possible?
With so many subjects, surely the sum should be more than twenty?
But then she thought of He Luo, who always filled her test papers meticulously yet managed to score zero every time, resulting in a shockingly low total. Ye Luo ceased to be surprised.
She would have to get used to this—not the high-IQ era she once knew.